GAME BEGINS 4SDGs

Funding programme

Erasmus+ KA210-YOU – Small-scale Partnerships in Youth

Project reference

2022-1-DE04-KA210-YOU-000081404

Period

2022–2023

Coordinating organisation

Impact Grid e.V., Germany

Participating countries

Germany, Türkiye, Poland, Spain

Official project website

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GAME BEGINS 4SDGs aimed to strengthen young people’s knowledge of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve youth workers’ capacity to use educational games in non-formal learning environments.

The project addressed the 17 SDGs through a combination of board games, card games, escape-room activities, digital games and participatory learning exercises.

Specific learning objectives

• Understanding the Sustainable Development Goals: Introduce participants to the 17 SDGs, their targets and their importance for addressing global social, economic and environmental challenges.
• Understanding interconnectedness: Encourage participants to recognise relationships between different SDGs and understand that actions addressing one goal may influence others.
• Critical thinking and problem-solving: Engage young people in activities requiring them to identify sustainability challenges, consider possible solutions and justify their decisions.
• Communication and teamwork: Promote cooperation, discussion, creativity, active participation and collaborative problem-solving through shared game experiences.
• Responsible citizenship: Encourage reflection on individual and collective responsibilities regarding sustainability and the contribution of everyday actions to the SDGs.
• Educational innovation: Familiarise youth workers with different game-based educational approaches and demonstrate how these can be incorporated into non-formal education.
• Facilitator competence: Provide practical guidance, adaptable game instructions and workshop materials that enable youth organisations to organise sustainability education activities.
• Knowledge transfer: Encourage the reuse and adaptation of educational games and activities across different youth organisations and European contexts.

Intended learning outcomes

The project sought to improve participants’ understanding of sustainability, strengthen transversal competences and encourage greater engagement with the SDGs.

These outcomes represent the project’s educational intentions. The publicly reviewed documentation does not establish the magnitude of measurable learning gains or behavioural changes attributable to the activities.

GAME BEGINS 4SDGs adopted a mixed educational game approach based on the selection, adaptation and facilitation of existing games and learning activities addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The project included physical board games and card games alongside escape-room activities, digital games and participatory group exercises.

Board games identified

1. GO GOALS: An existing educational board game addressing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Players move along a 63-space board using dice and tokens. Special squares introduce SDG-related questions and action cards. Correct answers allow additional turns. The game uses a race-style structure with ladders and slides and takes approximately 30–40 minutes. GO GOALS predates the project and was incorporated as an existing educational resource, rather than developed originally by the consortium.
2. SDGs XL: A team-based board game lasting approximately 60 minutes or more. Its 30-space board uses two dice: one determines movement, while the other determines how participants must communicate the sustainability-related concepts or actions shown on cards. Communication challenges include verbal explanation, drawing, mime, role-playing and limited-word descriptions. The game combines racing mechanics, communication challenges, time pressure and teamwork. Its exact original authorship and the extent of adaptation by the consortium require further verification.

Card games identified

• SDGs Heroes: A card-based educational activity in which participants select an SDG or target card together with resource cards and develop strategies for achieving the selected goal. Participants present their proposals, receive feedback and discuss the feasibility, sustainability and inclusiveness of different solutions. The activity is designed for approximately 60 minutes or more.

Complementary game-based activities

• Discover the Goals: An outdoor educational activity involving teams that identify and document examples or actions related to the SDGs.
• Connecting the SDGs: A participatory group activity using pictures and string to illustrate connections between sustainability objectives and encourage personal commitments to action.
• Escape Adventure Bag: An escape-game activity included in the project’s model workshop.
• Save the Planet: A digital educational game included as a complementary activity within the one-day workshop programme.

Game approach: Adapted Board Games, within a wider mixed game-based learning programme.

Target audience: Primarily young people aged 15 and older and youth workers.

Game origin: The project curated and adapted existing educational games and activities, while also incorporating materials developed by participating organisations. The available sources do not establish that all games were originally created by this Erasmus+ consortium.

Availability: The project developed an online educational resource platform containing game descriptions, instructions, methodological guidance and supporting materials. GO GOALS is also available independently as a free print-and-play educational board game.

BGBL relevance: Directly confirmed. Physical board games were included both in the project’s working sessions and in its documented model workshop.

GAME BEGINS 4SDGs developed a mixed Game-Based Learning methodology for non-formal youth education, integrating board games, card games, escape-room activities, digital games and participatory exercises within a structured sustainability learning programme.

The methodological approach combines introductory knowledge about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with facilitated gameplay, collaborative problem-solving, communication activities and opportunities for reflection.

One-day workshop framework

1. Introduction and initial assessment: The facilitator presents the 17 SDGs, introduces the workshop objectives, explores connections between the goals and administers an initial knowledge assessment.
2. Outdoor icebreaker – Discover the Goals: Participants work in small teams to identify examples and actions associated with the SDGs, encouraging observation, cooperation and initial engagement with sustainability topics.
3. Card-based learning – SDGs Heroes: Participants combine SDG objectives and resource cards to develop potential sustainability strategies. They explain their proposals, discuss feasibility and receive feedback from peers and the facilitator.
4. Board Game-Based Learning – SDGs XL: Participants play a team-based board game involving dice, movement, sustainability cards and different communication challenges. Players explain or represent concepts through words, drawings, gestures and other creative techniques.
5. Understanding interconnectedness – Connecting the SDGs: Participants identify connections between different sustainability goals, using a collaborative activity to illustrate how individual actions may contribute to multiple objectives.
6. Escape-game activity – Escape Adventure Bag: Teams participate in a problem-solving activity intended to reinforce sustainability knowledge through collaboration and challenge-based learning.
7. Digital game – Save the Planet: Participants experience a complementary digital activity addressing sustainability-related concepts.
8. Final reflection and assessment: The workshop concludes with a review of the learning experience and an end-of-session knowledge assessment.

Role of the facilitator

Youth workers and educators are responsible for introducing sustainability concepts, preparing game materials, explaining rules, organising teams and supporting participants throughout the activities.

The project materials recommend adapting questions, rules, group sizes and difficulty according to participants’ characteristics and previous knowledge.

Facilitators also encourage participants to explain their decisions, consider alternative responses and connect game situations with real sustainability challenges.

Reflection and debriefing

Reflection is incorporated into several activities. For example, SDGs Heroes includes discussion and peer feedback after participants present their strategies, while Connecting the SDGs encourages participants to identify relationships between different goals and formulate possible individual actions.

The GO GOALS instructions recommend that facilitators encourage discussion and explanation of answers, while SDGs XL requires participants to communicate sustainability-related concepts through different forms of expression.

However, the documentation does not establish a uniform, compulsory post-game debriefing protocol for all the games included in the programme.

Adaptation and flexibility

The online training tool is intended to function as a resource library rather than a rigid curriculum. Youth workers can select individual activities or combine different educational games according to their available time, objectives, group characteristics and learning context.

Relationship between game mechanics and learning

Question-and-answer mechanics support retrieval and reinforcement of SDG knowledge. Card-based strategy development encourages problem-solving and the consideration of alternative courses of action. Team challenges support communication and cooperation, while activities examining connections between goals introduce basic elements of systems thinking.

The methodology’s educational value depends on the extent to which these experiences are accompanied by accurate information, facilitation and reflection.

GAME BEGINS 4SDGs was implemented through a small-scale Erasmus+ partnership involving youth organisations from Germany, Türkiye, Poland and Spain.

The project combined the identification and adaptation of educational games with international methodological exchanges, local pilot workshops and the development of an online training tool for youth workers.

Documented implementation activities

• International methodological exchange: The partnership organised working activities to exchange knowledge about different game-based educational methods, including board games, card games, escape rooms and digital serious games.
• Working session in Germany: A project activity focused on card games, board games and educational games for sustainability education.
• Working session in Spain: A complementary activity addressed escape-room methodologies and digital serious games.
• Local pilot workshops: The project included local testing activities intended to introduce young people to the SDGs through different educational games.
• German pilot workshops: Workshops were held in Berlin on 25 and 26 June 2023, involving a total of 15 participants. According to the coordinator’s published report, participants expressed positive opinions about the games and their educational usefulness.
• Development of educational resources: The partnership prepared game instructions, facilitation recommendations, a structured one-day workshop programme and an online educational resource platform.
• Needs analysis: The consortium developed a comparative report on young people’s knowledge of and engagement with the SDGs, based on a ten-question survey across the participating countries.
• Dissemination: Project activities included communication materials, photographs, videos and the dissemination of educational resources to youth organisations and other stakeholders.

Evaluation approach

The published one-day workshop programme includes an initial knowledge assessment and an end-of-session test intended to examine participants’ understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The project also collected participant feedback during local implementation activities.

A separate cross-national survey investigated young people’s existing knowledge, awareness and engagement with sustainability-related topics. This needs assessment should not be confused with an evaluation of the educational effectiveness of the games.

Available evidence

The reviewed sources confirm that educational materials were developed, game-based activities were implemented and at least one local workshop programme was documented with participant feedback.

The German workshop report identifies 15 participants and describes favourable reactions to the activities.

However, the available documentation does not provide consolidated pre- and post-test results, validated learning measures, statistical analyses or follow-up assessments demonstrating measurable educational improvements.

Evidence classification: Documented educational resource development, local implementation and participant feedback, with a pre/post assessment framework described in the workshop programme. Quantitative effectiveness findings were not established from the publicly reviewed sources.

Methodological limitations: Participant satisfaction and perceived educational usefulness are not equivalent to demonstrated learning gains. The available sources do not allow conclusions about the magnitude or durability of improvements in SDG knowledge, sustainability attitudes or behaviour.

Furthermore, the reported programme combines multiple game formats. Without separate evaluation of its individual components, it is not possible to isolate the specific educational contribution of the board games.

Project status: Completed in December 2023.

GAME BEGINS 4SDGs developed an online educational resource platform intended to help youth workers identify, select and facilitate games addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Available resources

• Online Training Tool: A digital resource library containing information about the SDGs, selected educational games, methodological explanations, facilitation advice and examples of activities implemented by the project partners.
• One-Day Workshop Programme: A structured training plan combining introductory sustainability education, outdoor games, card games, board games, escape activities and digital games. The programme includes suggested timings, educational objectives, required materials and facilitator recommendations.
• GO GOALS – Game Instructions: A resource explaining the rules and educational application of an existing sustainability board game based on questions and actions associated with the 17 SDGs.
• SDGs XL – Game Instructions: Practical guidance for facilitating a team-based board game combining sustainability questions, movement, communication challenges, drawing, mime and collaborative explanation.
• SDGs Heroes – Card Game: Instructions for an activity in which participants combine SDG objectives and resource cards to design and discuss strategies for sustainable development.
• Connecting the SDGs: Guidance for a collaborative activity illustrating interconnections between sustainability objectives and encouraging reflection on personal actions.
• Complementary Learning Activities: Resources for outdoor games, icebreakers, escape-game activities and digital sustainability games.
• Country-Based Needs Analysis Report: A comparative study exploring young people’s awareness of the SDGs and identifying gaps relevant to sustainability education.
• Audiovisual Resources: Photographs, videos and examples from project activities supporting the dissemination of game-based educational practices.
• Facilitator Recommendations: Practical suggestions for adapting game difficulty, organising groups, encouraging discussion and promoting inclusive participation.

Transferability

The project provides a flexible educational model that allows youth workers to select individual games or combine different activities according to their learning objectives and available resources.

Its main transferable output is the curated collection of games and methodological guidance rather than a single newly developed educational board game.

The availability of existing educational games, structured workshop plans and facilitator instructions supports replication in youth organisations, community groups and non-formal educational settings.

Access and licensing

Several instructional resources were published through the project’s online platform. However, the accessibility and specific reuse conditions of individual downloadable files should be verified before redistribution or adaptation.

Some games, including GO GOALS, have their own original publishers and licensing conditions. Their inclusion in the project does not transfer authorship or ownership to the Erasmus+ partnership.

GAME BEGINS 4SDGs represents an example of Board Game-Based Learning integrated into a broader, multimodal educational programme addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Unlike projects that focus on designing a new educational board game, GAME BEGINS 4SDGs concentrates on identifying, adapting and combining existing game-based resources to support sustainability education in non-formal youth settings.

Methodological strengths

1. Educational reuse of existing games. The project demonstrates how previously available games and educational activities can be selected and incorporated into a structured learning programme without requiring the development of entirely new board games.
2. Comprehensive sustainability perspective. The educational activities address the 17 SDGs rather than focusing exclusively on environmental issues, encouraging participants to recognise their social, economic and environmental dimensions.
3. Combination of complementary game formats. Board games, card games, escape activities, digital games and participatory exercises offer different ways of engaging participants with sustainability concepts.
4. Structured workshop planning. The one-day programme establishes a progression from introductory knowledge and initial assessment to participatory activities, problem-solving and final assessment.
5. Development of transversal competences. Several activities incorporate collaboration, communication, creativity and the justification of decisions as central elements of participation.
6. Explicit reflection opportunities. SDGs Heroes includes discussion and peer feedback on sustainability strategies, while Connecting the SDGs encourages participants to identify relationships between goals and consider individual responsibilities.
7. Practical facilitator guidance. The resources provide information about game objectives, materials, activity duration, instructions and possible adaptations, supporting implementation by youth workers.
8. Accessible educational transfer. The online resource library and combination of existing games offer a practical starting point for other organisations seeking to introduce sustainability education through playful learning.

Methodological limitations

The project combines activities with different degrees of educational complexity. Some games primarily reinforce factual knowledge through questions and answers, while others require participants to develop strategies, explain decisions or identify relationships between sustainability objectives.

This distinction is important because answering questions about the SDGs does not necessarily demonstrate an understanding of the interactions, trade-offs and systemic challenges involved in sustainable development.

The mechanics of GO GOALS, for example, largely combine dice-based movement with factual questions. The educational learning process therefore depends considerably on the quality of the questions and the facilitator’s explanations.

SDGs XL introduces additional communication and teamwork demands, but the relationship between these mechanics and the development of sustainability competences should not be assumed without specific assessment.

Another limitation is the combination of several educational activities within a single workshop. While this approach may enhance engagement and variety, it also makes it difficult to determine which individual methods contribute most strongly to learning.

Although the model workshop includes pre- and post-session assessments, the publicly reviewed documentation does not provide sufficient quantitative evidence to establish the intervention’s effectiveness.

Finally, the available materials do not consistently establish a mandatory post-game reflection procedure for every board game. This may limit the connection between game performance and broader sustainability learning when activities are implemented without additional facilitation.

Ludus Magnus assessment

GAME BEGINS 4SDGs offers a useful and transferable model for incorporating existing board games into non-formal sustainability education.

Its main methodological contribution lies in the curation of educational resources and their integration into a structured programme combining factual learning, communication, collaborative problem-solving and reflection.

The most valuable activities from a BGBL perspective are those that require participants not only to recall information about the SDGs but also to consider relationships between goals, justify decisions and evaluate alternative sustainability strategies.

For educational replication, Ludus Magnus recommends selecting a manageable number of games according to explicit learning objectives, allocating sufficient time for reflection and using assessment instruments capable of distinguishing factual knowledge from deeper sustainability competences.

Future research should examine the contribution of individual board games, compare different forms of facilitation and assess whether learning transfers to participants’ attitudes or everyday behaviour.

Independence of assessment

GAME BEGINS 4SDGs was developed by an external European consortium. This appraisal by Ludus Magnus is based on publicly available project documentation, game instructions, workshop materials and partner reports. It does not constitute an independent experimental evaluation or direct observation of the complete educational programme.